Emilio Pucci and Bisazza Go Pop with Vivid Tile Mosaics

During last month’s Salone del Mobile, two venerable Italian brands partnered to create modern variations on opus tessellatum, the classic technique of making mosaics from tile. Florentine fashion label Emilio Pucci mined its archives for standouts—including Onde, from a 1969 scarf design—to develop inspired patterns for tile manufacturer Bisazza. The companies have worked together before, reinterpreting Pucci’s Chiave pattern for the façade of a Las Vegas Pucci boutique in 2011.

Pucci’s Fontana pattern, shown on a dress and in a tile mosaic by Bisazza.

Adding a familial touch to the collaboration, both companies are now run by the children of their founders. Pucci, now part of LVMH, is helmed by Emilio Pucci’s daughter Laudomia, while Bisazza is managed by the founder’s children, including daughter Rosella, who oversees communications, and son Piero, who is CEO.

Pucci’s Vivara pattern, from 1976, will be a limited-edition mosaic by Bisazza.

The vivid panel based on the Collane pattern (1971) took six artisans more than 200 hours to fabricate, mixing small, uniform glass pieces with acrylic to create a sense of intricacy reminiscent of Roman and Byzantine mosaics. That panel—along with others inspired by historical Pucci prints, including Fontana (1968) and Vivara (1976)—will be a limited edition, while more recent designs Alba and Amelie (2006), made using modern manufacturing methods, will be available through the Bisazza Mosaico line in 2015.